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Charge 5 battery draining too fast

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‎09-26-2021 21:25 - last edited on ‎09-28-2021 10:29 by Moderator Alum

‎09-26-2021 21:25 - last edited on ‎09-28-2021 10:29 by Moderator Alum

I have had the new Charge 5 for 2 days. The battery discharges within a day. GPS is off, the phone is not set to always on. In looking over the troubleshooting instructions from Fitbit, it seems that you essentially have to disable all of the features that were selling points of this device in order to get decent battery life. Even my ancient Charge 3 got 6 days on one charge! Has anyone with this battery problem found a solution other than disabling everything?

 

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1,680 REPLIES 1,680

‎03-28-2022 16:03

In response to LizzyFitbit

‎03-28-2022 16:03

I was hoping a fix would be released by the time I bought my Charge 5 since this issue has been reported since 2021. I decided to return my device. I'll gladly buy it again if the firmware update has been released and is confirmed to have fixed battery drain issues for the majority of users. While I understand it takes a lot of time and testing to release firmware updates, I'm surprised it has dragged on for this long for such a simple fix. 

 

What's not clear at this point is if it is potentially a hardware issue or just software related since some users seem to have no issues at all. If it is potentially hardware related, I definitely won't be buying the Charge 5 until most of the old bad units are phased out. 

Best Answer

‎03-29-2022 07:40

In response to SilviaFitbit

‎03-29-2022 07:40

I am having the same issues and my watch is only 2 months old. Initially it didn’t happen and then it happened twice and went away. Now it’s been draining too fast for 2 straight days. I’ve turned GPS to phoned, turned off SpO2 and lowered dimming and still losing over 50% charge a day at least. This is extremely frustrating especially since this is my 3rd watch in a row that has had issues, very disappointing.

Best Answer

‎03-29-2022 16:46

In response to sean44

‎03-29-2022 16:46

I am having the same issue on my replacement device also, I charged it in the afternoon and until the night it stays at 90%, and morning when I wake up it's at 38%. 

 

The device I purchased was about 3 months old, and it really frustrating that the same issue exists on the replacement device too. I believe its a firmware issue. 

 

I hope the firmware update is released soon.

 

 

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‎03-29-2022 16:59 - last edited on ‎03-31-2022 05:48 by Moderator Alum

In response to austonpramodh

‎03-29-2022 16:59 - last edited on ‎03-31-2022 05:48 by Moderator Alum

Thanks for the info. I restarted it and it seems to be back to normal. Slide up to settings at at the bottom of the settings menu is restart. The previous time the battery died so I think that is why it stopped draining so fast, hard restart. I think both times it started I left it on the charger after it was 100%. I’ll see if my theory is right by not charging it too long.

 

By slide up l, I mean slide finger down so screen scrolls up.

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‎03-29-2022 17:03

In response to austonpramodh

‎03-29-2022 17:03

SAME here, got a replacement device and now it's exhibiting the EXACT same behavior. I don't understand how this question can be marked as 'Solved' since the firmware update hasn't been released. Very frustrating, do I just keep asking for replacement devices until it's fixed?

Best Answer

‎03-29-2022 19:22

In response to SpiffyMagpie

‎03-29-2022 19:22

Restarting the watch through the touch screen has stopped the fast battery drain for me. I am thinking it happens because I left the watch on the charger after 100% charge so it screws something up. First time watch died so it was basically restarting it when I got it charged. Second time fast battery drain happened was when I left it on the charger over night 1.5 days ago. Restarted it through touch screen this morning and battery is back to normal.

Sent from my iPhone
Best Answer

‎03-29-2022 19:22

In response to SpiffyMagpie

‎03-29-2022 19:22

I am quite disappointed with the performance of the Charge 5 I got for Christmas to replace the Charge 2 I’d had for years and was delighted with. I have tried the recommended fixes but my battery won’t even last 24 hours on a complete charge. I’ve even tried setting the screen to manual wake in hopes that would help. I now find myself frustrated several times a day when trying to check the time on the device—just about the only thing I use it for during a work day since I’ve turned notifications off to save battery too. Virtually worthless at this point when I can’t reliably make it through an evening workout without having to charge it for a few minutes. 

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‎03-29-2022 19:59

In response to Bandit3138

‎03-29-2022 19:59

Do you plug it in when you restart?

 

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0 Votes

‎03-29-2022 20:07

In response to LesleyMY

‎03-29-2022 20:07

No. Had it on my wrist when I restarted it at work this morning. It was at 67% when restarted it at 8 am this morning. it’s 10 pm where I live and it’s at 62% right now.

Sent from my iPhone
Best Answer

‎03-31-2022 03:43

In response to sean44

‎03-31-2022 03:43

Having the same issue on my charge 5. I purchased the device about 3 months ago. At first, the battery was lasting almost an entire week. Now suddenly the battery can drain in about an hour from 80% to 0%. It completely shuts down. I don't even get a notification on the app regarding the battery level.

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‎03-31-2022 05:27

In response to Unhappy_mother

‎03-31-2022 05:27

Update 2:  I was able to get 10 days out of my fitbit by restarting it after I charge it. It lost about 7% /day during the last charge cycle. I recharge it when it was at 20% as I did not want to take the chance that it died before I remembered to recharge it. I have everythig off that I don't need. I really hope they get a fix because I hate having to remind myself to restart it after it is fully charged especially I charge my fitbit at around 7 pm so I can wear it to bed. It takes my fitbit about 3 hours to fully charge (get to 100% which takes about 45 minutes when it is at 99%) which seems excessively a long time to charge my new Charge 5 since it only took my Charge 2 only 1 1/2 hours to fully charge from 25% battery life left. 

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‎03-31-2022 06:21

In response to Unhappy_mother

‎03-31-2022 06:21

UPDATE: thanks for the information. It’s good to know how others are getting along.So my watch was good for a day and then yesterday lost 30% during work. Restarted again when I got home and that did the trick again . Hopefully it lasts longer this time before I have to restart. It’s definitely a programming issue in the watch and not the battery itself but as to what causes it I have no idea.

Sent from my iPhone
Best Answer

‎03-31-2022 08:28 - edited ‎03-31-2022 08:28

‎03-31-2022 08:28 - edited ‎03-31-2022 08:28

Yep. Another disappointed user. Barely lasts a day. No always on screen. No GPS. Need to see about the SpO2.

 

Where is this firmware update!!

Best Answer

‎03-31-2022 08:59 - edited ‎03-31-2022 09:01

In response to drewski

‎03-31-2022 08:59 - edited ‎03-31-2022 09:01

At this rate we can probably expect to see the firmware update some time in 2023 lol. I returned my device to the store and will not buy it again until the update is released and many can confirm that it fixed their battery issues. 

Best Answer

‎04-02-2022 11:14

In response to LizzyFitbit

‎04-02-2022 11:14

Hello the battery is rally rally bad. Now I have to charge it twice a day. Evening and morning.  When i bought it the battery lasted for almost a week. I have a charge 5. I am very dissapointed.  

Best Answer

‎04-03-2022 05:55

‎04-03-2022 05:55

The FIX:

1. Select an exercise, ex: Run > scroll down and select GPS off (you can apply same step for Interval Exercise, Run, and Bike)

2. Turned GPS to phone

3. From fitbit.com/settings i turned GPS off too

4. uninstalled SpO2 as this was using a bit of battery too but not as much as GPS

5. Restart your watch once this is applied

Best Answer

‎04-03-2022 07:14 - edited ‎04-03-2022 07:15

In response to SunsetRunner

‎04-03-2022 07:14 - edited ‎04-03-2022 07:15

For me, just the restarting part works. I restart the device every night or whenever I feel that battery is dropping drastically.

 

It's been probably 3 days since I charged my device now.

Best Answer

‎04-03-2022 07:26

In response to SunsetRunner

‎04-03-2022 07:26

Hi RedLeaf1

I wish the fix was the route to solve all the battery issues outlined in this section.   Many have tried multiple times and multiple approaches to remedy all the maladies associated with battery life.  Some fixes work but only temporarily, for others it just adds to the frustration being experienced.  The issue may be multifaceted and hopefully the promised firmware update will resolve all.  In the mean time, it is unfortunate that you should have to disable any of the Charge 5’s functionality just to subdue the rapid battery discharge. Though it is natural that functionality such as GPS will demand more from a battery.  
Fortunate for me, my Charge 5 has been giving me consistent 7+ days on a charge since I restarted it one week after I received it. Of course I do not make use of GPS for cycling.  I have a separate cycle computer for  that and my Charge 5 was manufactured in Malaysia. I hope your fix works for you and others.

Best of luck.  

Best Answer

‎04-03-2022 07:33

In response to Annica_ch

‎04-03-2022 07:33

I bought mine in September 2021, and it was also lasting a week, but this last couple of weeks I realised the charge was lasting shorter and shorter.  Now it literally last no more than 3 hours.  Been in "online chat" with customer services, and now waiting for an email about what they can do (or not do).  Not holding my breath at this point.

Best Answer

‎04-03-2022 08:34

In response to LizzyFitbit

‎04-03-2022 08:34

I had a Charge 3 that easily lasted 7 days. Bought the Charge 5 because of O2 sat and built in GPS and supposed 7 day battery life. I also am finding that it is barely lasting a day. I have it on phone for GPS and screen on with wrist raise. Very disappointed with the battery life. You should in the info when buying saying battery life is less than 24 hours if you use the touted features. 

Best Answer